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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27849702">Finding Paths</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/SecretlyAnonymous/pseuds/SecretlyAnonymous'>SecretlyAnonymous</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>ARscbpsup [3]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Star Wars - All Media Types</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Gen, it's lowkey, like kanera, there's a lot of implied rexsoka</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-12-03</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-12-20</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-10 22:07:44</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Not Rated</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>5,524</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27849702</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/SecretlyAnonymous/pseuds/SecretlyAnonymous</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Ahsoka and Rex make a decision.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>CT-7567 | Rex &amp; Ahsoka Tano, Obi-Wan Kenobi &amp; Ahsoka Tano, Obi-Wan Kenobi &amp; CT-7567 | Rex</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>ARscbpsup [3]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1806274</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>10</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>119</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. The decision</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Look idk I'm just writing this as it comes to me. this was my nano story so I've got like 25k written now.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Obi-Wan woke up the next morning before her. He was simultaneously trying to make himself smaller and full of an anger that confused her. </p><p>She shoved the question of what his anger stemmed from away for now, preparing breakfast (still packaged food, but one she could add water to and heat to make a slightly more palatable meal) and sitting down in front of him. “Are there any more questions you have for me?”</p><p>Obi-Wan put down his fork. “Yesterday I asked about your goal. You said you’d tell me in the morning, and it’s morning.”</p><p>Ahsoka nodded. “It is indeed.” There was the question of how much to tell him. He was <em> twelve </em>. He’d also protest, maybe violently, if she withheld information based on his age.</p><p>“To understand my goal, you must understand the world I came from,” she began, “I come from a world where the Jedi Order has been decimated -” the boy recoiled. Ahsoka huffed at the reaction. “- with the Sith as the ruling power in the galaxy.”</p><p>“Not possible!” Obi-Wan protested. “The Sith have been destroyed for thousands of years. And even so, how would one manage to take over the universe without the Jedi doing anything about it?”</p><p>Ahsoka smiled gently. “We did do something about it. We tried at least. The Sith decided to come out of hiding and engineer a war, at the end of which, the Jedi were declared traitors to the Republic and executed en masse. The Sith Lord - the chancellor - declared the Republic an empire and himself the emperor.”</p><p>Obi-Wan looked horrified, and Ahsoka winced at the thought of adding to his inner turmoil before addressing what was already there. “How did you survive?”</p><p>“Rex -” she was interrupted by that very person. </p><p>“Ahsoka survived because of her own skills and because of my brother, Fives.” Rex was standing in the doorway, wearing his strange combination of lower and arm armor and a civvie shirt. He needed the maneuverability that the armor sacrificed, but neither of them were dumb enough to shirk the protection armor offered period. </p><p>Ahsoka made a face at him. It was an argument that they’d had a few times, before explaining to Obi-Wan, “There’s a lot more but the breakdown is that the Jedi were conscripted to lead an army of clones. Unbeknownst to us, the clones - the vod, they call themselves - had chips in their heads. Fives discovered a plot to destroy the Jedi surrounding the chips, but died before he could convince anyone except for Rex. When the order went out, Rex was able to warn me. I found Fives’ files, kidnapped Rex and removed his chip, and we made our escape.”</p><p>Obi-Wan swallowed. “So your goal is to prevent the Sith from rising, the war from happening, and the Jedi from being wiped out. That’s lofty.”</p><p>“You’re free to leave any time,” Ahsoka reassured him, “We’ll drop you off wherever you want to be, if that’s the Jedi or somewhere else.”</p><p>“No, I wanna stay.”</p><p>“Aww. Thank you.” </p><p>Obi-Wan took a deep breath. “So, what are we doing first?”</p><p>“First,” Rex said, “We’re getting some supplies. Then… we’re going to throw a wrench in Sidious’ plans.”</p><p>---</p><p>Ahsoka had heard stories of Mustafar. Even before the purge, it was known as a place few ever returned from, Jedi or otherwise. Some thought it was locals, unseen but known, shooting down anyone who dared try to land. Others said it was merely the atmosphere, volcanism spewing toxic chemicals into the air that fried electronics and shut down equipment.</p><p>Jedi said the planet was bathed in darkness.</p><p>The underworld claimed it was where Darth Vader had been born. </p><p>If Ahsoka was going to find out what was going on, it would be there.</p><p>It would be a while before they were ready to take on such a mission though. They had limited credits, a too-small ship, and a <em> youngling </em>- a padawan. </p><p>Master Kenobi had taught her quite a lot on his own. He’d been her master as much as Anakin had been. When they got the chance, they often met up to have tea and play games. Probably without Anakin’s knowledge, she’d learned how to win at most card games - and how to successfully gamble. If one was willing to use the Force, it was <em> easy </em> to win. </p><p>Master Kenobi made sure she never had to.</p><p>“You’re bringing me to a bar?” Obi-Wan hissed. </p><p>Ahsoka grinned. “This is something you’ll need to learn if you’re going to be my padawan.”</p><p>He huffed. “I’m twelve!”</p><p>“The younger you start, the easier it is to learn.”</p><p>To Ahsoka’s delight, Obi-Wan rolled his eyes. </p><p>By the end of the night, she was a thousand credits richer and Obi-Wan was no longer rolling his eyes.</p><p>The next night, Rex went off to buy supplies while Ahsoka, once again, gambled. When she returned, several thousand credits in hand, she dragged him to dinner. It wasn’t all that great, but anything was better than the rations they’d been surviving on.</p><p>Their waiter gave them a second look and muttered, “Damn they get them young now.”</p><p>Ahsoka put on her sweetest smile and ordered her food, and before the waiter left, said, “What kinds of desserts do you have? It’s my stepson’s thirteenth birthday and I’d like to get him a treat.”</p><p>The waiter paled, promising to come back with the dessert menu.</p><p>Not long after their drinks were brought out, Rex slid in next to Ahsoka. “Dropped supplies off at the ship. Got you some new clothes,” he said to Obi-Wan. Then he turned to Ahsoka. “I think we should spring for an upgrade on the ship. Do you know when we’ll be able to afford it?”</p><p>The waiter returned with their drinks, nervously taking Rex’s order while Ahsoka smiled genially. </p><p>“That’s true,” she agreed when the waiter was gone, “if we’re going to try to rescue Maul from Sidious, or at least figure out what's going on, we’ll need at least one more room.”</p><p>Rex sighed, “I don’t know if we’ll be able to sell our current one and be able to afford an upgrade though.”</p><p>Ahsoka pursed her lips. “But it is an advanced ship. We might be able to sell it to a developer for good money.”</p><p>Rex tilted his head in agreement. “How much do you have?”</p><p>Ahsoka shrugged. “A few thousand, not enough alone, but I think we’ll be able to afford the upgrade soon.” </p><p>They returned to the ship and continued their pattern. This time, Ahsoka chose the location. She pushed them in the direction of Mustafar, but not enough for it to look like a straight shot. With Rex’s turns providing a sense of randomness, they shouldn’t be noticed. </p><p>It took twenty days to save up enough for a new ship. They located a manufacturer who was willing to give them a rather nice four-bedroom ship and not ask questions in exchange for their old ship and a significant portion of their savings. </p><p>Both Ahsoka and Rex checked it over. It was older than either of them had worked with - brand new in this era, but outdated compared to their usual fare. A glance at the hyperdrive had them both wincing, but Ahsoka hadn’t picked up enough handiwork from Anakin to feel comfortable messing with it. It did, helpfully, come with a shuttle. She would make good use of that. Obi-Wan watched curiously as they poked and prodded around.</p><p>The distance they could cover in a single night dropped by twenty-five percent. Perhaps a boon, perhaps not. Ahsoka kept them on their trend towards Mustafar, but only when they were a mere ten days away as a purrgil travels did she sit down and explain the full extent of her plan. </p><p>Rex nodded along solemnly, but Obi-Wan protested when she demanded he stay away, saying that he could “handle it.”</p><p>Ahsoka raised an eyebrow. “And I suppose the numerous fully trained masters who’ve disappeared there could handle it as well.”</p><p>“We’re going in with foreknowledge though,” Obi-Wan retorted.</p><p>Ahsoka shot back, “Not much. I’m basing this mostly on rumors. I don’t know what we’ll find down there, just that will be <em> bad. </em> And I’m not taking you there.”</p><p>Obi-Wan huffed and stalked to his room. She dropped down next to Rex. “Thanks for the help,” she muttered.</p><p>“Figured I should leave the jedi stuff to the jedi.”</p><p>Ahsoka raised a hand to her face. “Ventress was closer in age to Anakin than Obi-Wan… if she needs rescuing from the Sith this time around, he’ll probably be trained enough for me to feel comfortable taking him with me.”</p><p>Rex tilted his head. “Are you going to tell him that?”</p><p>“I was going to, but he ran off.”</p><p>Rex hummed. “Maybe you should now.”</p><p>“Maybe.”</p><p>“So… ten day straight shot to Mustafar. How short do you think we can make that without spawning suspicion?”</p><p>Ahsoka thought about it for a second. Currently, she just pointed them to any planet that was vaguely in the direction of Mustafar, often heading more to the right or left of it than towards it. With Rex’s interference occasionally sending them backwards, it may take as many as sixty. “Thirty,” she said definitively, “No one’s going to be looking for us, so we don’t have to put too much effort into keeping up appearances.” </p><p>“If we had a home base…” Rex began, “We would take longer, of course, to get Maul, but it would make it easier to get the resources necessary.”</p><p>It was an idea, but where might they get a homebase on such short notice?</p><p>She voiced the question to Rex. He tilted his head with a faint smile. Ahsoka narrowed her eyes - that was his scheming look. It was rare; he was usually the one preventing scheming from happening.</p><p>It usually meant things were going to get weird - clone weird, which was different from jedi-weird, she’d been told, but having been exposed to both at the same time, she struggled to see it.</p><p>“Mandalore’s not far from here, correct?”</p><p>She pursed her lips, holding back a smile. She knew what he was thinking.</p><p>“Indeed, it is.”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. it's not shown but rex is NOT happy to come face to face with jango</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Welcome to Mandalore</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>There's a lot of mando'a and I was working off memory, so lmk if I forgot to translate any at the bottom. I'm using simpler words and few phrases, so hopefully it's easier to understand.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>When they landed on Mandalore, they were met with armed guard. </p><p>Apparently, the Mand’alor rarely saw to newcomers, but for some reason, he had this time.</p><p>Ahsoka was ill prepared to see such a familiar face, and privately mused to herself about what could have happened to Jango for him to go from Mand’alor to… bounty hunter.</p><p>Then - it had been in a history class when she was ten. One of the Order’s greatest mistakes. Jango had been thought dead until Master Kenobi found him on Kamino.</p><p>Hmm.... clearly the <em> accident </em> hadn’t happened yet. </p><p>She smirked, knowing exactly what to say.</p><p>----</p><p>“Master,” Obi-Wan gaped. Ahsoka tapped his jaw closed, amused. “How?”</p><p>Rex eyed her. “Ahsoka just knows what to say. When did you get so good at diplomacy?”</p><p>Since they were now wards of Mandalore - not Mando’ade, not unless they swore the Resol’nare - Ahsoka thought it only appropriate to use their language. “You’ve met my buire,” she said. “It was a necessary skill.”</p><p>Rex seemed to take a second to think about that, rolling his eyes. “Fine,” he said.</p><p>Obi-Wan said, “What does buire mean?”</p><p>Ah - he wouldn’t even know the little bit of mando’a she did. “It’s Mandalorian - the correct term is Mando’a, by the way - for ‘parents’. I’m using it to refer to my masters, because I don’t know the Mando’a word for master.”</p><p>Obi-Wan furrowed his eyebrows, nodding. “So do I call you my buire here too?”</p><p>She shared a look with Rex. On the one hand, it would be useful… on the other, she wasn’t his buir. She wasn’t even old enough to be.</p><p>But - tactics won out over sentiment. It always would, she thought. “Buir is the singular. It’s gender-neutral, so you can use it for either Rex or I. You’ll probably learn a lot of Mando’a in your classes, so if you find a term you think fits better, you’re welcome to use it.”</p><p>Rex warned, “People will assume you’re our son, if you use buir for us. We know that might be uncomfortable for you, so don’t feel pressured.”</p><p>Obi-Wan nodded again, slow and serious. “I’ll wait to make a decision,” he said. “I want to know more.”</p><p>Oh good, already decent at making informed decisions. It was a skill taught to the Jedi - and hammered in twice as hard in younglings born after Galidraan - but not many did a good job at internalizing the lesson until their padawanship.</p><p>Obi-Wan threw himself on the plush couch, gazing around the room again. It was almost larger than their whole ship, and it was only one room. Mandalore had yet to adopt the domes that dotted the landscape last time she’d been there, so the windows opened up to - a neighborhood, but behind that, a desert.</p><p>“So, why exactly are we here?” </p><p>Ahsoka shrugged. “I don’t have the resources to teach you the basics - the things you’d be learning in the temple, in your classes. I am absolutely able to teach you about being a jedi, but I know that at the age of twelve, you’re not an expert in politics and maths.”</p><p>Obi-Wan reddened. “I do fine,” he said hotly, and there was that temper she’d heard about. </p><p>She grinned, delighted by his reaction. “Also, while we <em> could </em> sustain ourselves always traveling, it would be a strain and this frees us up. Now, I don’t have to worry about you getting into situations beyond your abilities, or where we’ll get more gas, or how to feed us.”</p><p>Obi-Wan turned redder. She shook her head. Soon, he’d realized that there were many a situation over his head.</p><p>“Now,” she said, clapping her hands. “We get to choose our bedrooms.”</p><p>There were five bedrooms, which suited her just fine (it was a <em> little </em> austentatious, but they <em> were </em> sponsered by the Mand’alor), four bathrooms, a fully stocked kitchen (sweet), and the living area where they’d originally entered. </p><p>They met in the kitchen. Ahsoka, growing up around clones, had a stronger resistance than the average Jedi, but the food in the room was pushing it even for her. Rex had offered to grab some of the blander foods from the ship while she and Obi-Wan built up a tolerance to the spice.</p><p>“Alright,” she said in the midst of cooking, “Basically, Mand’alor Fett has agreed to house and endorse us in exchange for information. I will likely have to spend some time with him over the next few days, and he may ask me to accompany him on a mission soon.”</p><p>Obi-Wan frowned. “So…” </p><p>Ahsoka took pity on him. “I know you want to start with official apprenticeship stuff, but I’m going to have to put it off. Besides, you’ll be learning a new language here, which is going to make everything harder for you. Once you’re more comfortable and doing well in your classes, we can start.”</p><p>Rex nodded along, pushing off any protest Obi-Wan had. “And besides,” he said, “Mand’alor Fett has offered to also pay for classes for Ahsoka and I, and while you two can’t become Mando’ade, I might be able to. If I can, I think that’s a pathway I want to take.”</p><p>An idea sparked in the back of Ahsoka’s mind. “Jango called you my riduur,” she said, a little teasingly. He’d been way off, but the two of them had gotten into the habit, the last few years, of not correcting assumptions made about them if they weren’t harmful.</p><p>“A Mandalorian and a Jedi, riduure. What would the Order think,” he tsked.</p><p>Obi-Wan squinted at them, and Ahsoka snorted. “Riduur means spouse. Jango basically called Rex my husband.”</p><p>Obi-Wan squinted harder and the laugh burst out of her before she could stop it. The kid looked so cute, and his disbelief was cuter.</p><p>Slowly, he said, “Are you two…?”</p><p>Rex shook his head. “Nah. But if I swear the Resol’nare - it’s a code and basically the qualifier for being Mandalorian,” he clarified, “You two will have a claim here on Mandalore. You’d be the aliit of a Mandalorian, and the Mando’ade don’t really care about much beyond that.”</p><p>“Hence why we didn’t correct Jango,” Ahsoka said. “We’ve found assumptions can be useful.”</p><p>Obi-Wan nodded, and focused on his food rather than speak. He was probably very confused, but hopefully, things would make more sense the more he learned.</p><p>----</p><p>Jango did, in fact, want to know everything. Unfortunately, she didn’t know anything. Getting him to believe she’d had a vision of the future wasn’t hard, once she’d explained the Force to him.</p><p>Some Jedi thought that Mandalore not sending their kid to the Jedi might be because they didn’t have Force-sensitive kids. After all, plenty of worlds disliked the Jedi, but still handed their children over. Master Kenobi had snorted when she told him that theory. “It’s because they have a long memory,” he said, “And they hate the Jedi. We once tried to kill each other, you know. Now, they dislike Jedi on principle.”</p><p>Ahsoka, being a fourteen-year-old Jedi Padawan, had been baffled by that information. How could anyone, much less an entire race, hold so much anger for such a long time?</p><p>Ahsoka, a twenty-two-year-old not-Jedi was… still a little baffled, but she understood better now. </p><p>She’d never forgive the Emperor for what he’d done to the Jedi. But being angry was exhausting. She wasn’t angry. She was sad, and tired, and determined, but not angry.</p><p>That’s what Mandalore was like, she thought. They didn’t really hate the Jedi, they just… wouldn’t forgive them.</p><p>And they had long memories.</p><p>So, it hadn’t been a surprise to hear that Mandalore, rather than simply not birthing Force-sensitives, had a different tradition. Jango wasn’t one of them (although he had certain abilities as Mand’alor), but he knew of what she spoke.</p><p>The hard part was making sure she gave the <em> right </em> information. What the Jedi knew wasn’t as exhaustive as they’d have liked, by admission of her own teachers. </p><p>Jango had ordered her on the mission to Galidraan and given her a look to warn her off of protesting - not that she planned to. The Jedi there would hesitate if they sensed one of their own within the ranks of the supposed attackers. </p><p>----</p><p>Jango had scrapped his initial plans for Galidraan. Instead, relying on Ahsoka’s limited intel, he designed a stealth mission to get proof that the governor was double-crossing them, and that the Kyr’stad were there.</p><p>Those… hut’uune would pay. He would ensure it.</p><p>He also moved the mission up - it was to take place the day before originally planned. Ahsoka had told him that, from what she could tell in her vision, the attack that destroyed his Hat’aade had taken place almost as soon as the Jedi arrived on Galidraan. They were supposed to, she said, collect information before taking action. In her vision, the supposed attack of the Haat’ade on innocent civilians was enough information for them…. And it was wrong. He’d ensure that the Jedi had enough information to side with him, or at least, not stand in his way.</p><p>He held her and her riduur back the first meeting.</p><p>“You are a jetii, correct?”</p><p>Ahsoka tensed up, but nodded.</p><p>“If the other jetiise see you fighting with us, will they continue to attack us?”</p><p>She bit her lip, and said nothing for a minute. Rex spoke up first. “It’s possible they’d stop, Alor, but it’s also possible that they’d accuse her of betraying the Order or being a rogue force-user.”</p><p>Jango narrowed his eyes. “The jetii would control each and every one of their members?”</p><p>“It’s not…” Ahsoka’s voice broke. “It’s not really like that… it’s more like they keep tabs on all the jetii, and ask them to do things, and the fact that they’ve never - or rarely - encountered me would make them inclined to think of me as auretii instead of a jedi. They’d be distrustful… and anyways, I am kind of a rogue.”</p><p>Jango held back a smirk. That had been evident the moment he’d realized that it wasn’t just the fact that she had the manda, but she was also a jetii.</p><p>“Okay,” he said, “So we’ll bring you in as a back-up plan to deal with the jetii. Are either of you good at stealth?”</p><p>“It’s not our speciality, but we’re good at it,” Rex said.</p><p>Ahsoka added, “I’m good at interrogations, so I might be able to get more information out of the governor, or anyone else we run into.”</p><p>Jango nodded. “We’ll add you to the mission during the briefing tomorrow,” he said decisively. </p><p>The two bowed and made their way to their yaim, leaving Jango to his thoughts. They’d make good Haat’ade, but Ahsoka was unlikely to swear the Resol’nare. She was concerned with the entire galaxy. Rex, on the other hand… he walked and talked like mando’ade, like Manda’yaim was in his blood. He was maybe forty years old, starting to grey, but he was a soldier, and he would be invaluable if he’d swear to Jango.</p><p>----</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Mand'alor: Sole Ruler of Mandalore<br/>Mando'ade: Mandalorians<br/>Mando'a: the Mandalorian Language<br/>Resol'nare: the Six Tenants of Mando life<br/>jetii: Jedi<br/>jetiise: Jedi (plural)<br/>buire: parents<br/>buir: parent<br/>Riduur: spouse<br/>Riduure: spouses<br/>Aliit: family<br/>Hut'uune: cowards<br/>Haat'ade: True Mandalorians (Jango's faction)<br/>Alor: leader, short for Mand'alor in this instance<br/>Auretii: outsider, foreigner, traitor (the first two in this instance)<br/>the manda: the collective soul or heaven - the state of being Mandalorian in mind, body and spirit - also supreme, overarching, guardian-like (used in this way to refer to an aspect of the Force)<br/>Manda'yaim: Mandalore</p><p>---------------</p><p>I did NOT intend update this work just yet. I wanted to draw it out over time because Ch4 of another sotry may be a year coming or more, but this is complete now. I'll update ch3 when ch4 of the other story is half-written ig. But... I hit the wrong button so here's ch2.</p><p>On the flip side; thank you so much to those of you who left kudos!! I love all my readers!!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. you know how galidraan happened in legends? yeah this is not that</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Galidraan</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>More mando'a and this is kinda... an overview? segue into the next work? next we get into how to meet maul :) (timeline-wise not writing wise bc i have no idea when it's going to happen)</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The initial plan for Galidraan was to last several months. This one also lasted several months, but amongst the fighting in the streets and countryside, a group was dispatched to infiltrate the government.</p><p>Rex had taken to mando’a well, and the fact that most of their comrades spoke it meant that Ahsoka was picking it up quickly. She was, luckily, able to comm Obi-Wan every now and then. He was also learning mando’a, and had moved on from mostly language classes to a few more basic classes - subjects he already knew in Basic, he explained, but getting him used to dealing with them in this language. But the mission changed once the kyr’stad were almost defeated.</p><p>Stealth missions sucked, Ahsoka decided. One week left on Galidraan, and <em> her </em> mission began in earnest. She’d been taking them on and off her whole padawanship, but something about this one struck different. It was something in the Force, some malicious intent that wanted her dead. </p><p>She gagged on the anger, irrational and all-consuming.</p><p>The Separatist army had been made up of mostly droids. There was always plenty of fear or pain in the air, but rarely was there this kind of raw hatred. </p><p>The governor’s office was dark when they arrived, and they slowly and carefully rifled through his belongings. They needed proof they’d been double-crossed.</p><p>On his computer was the request he’d sent to the senate. Also on his computer was the contract he’d signed with the haat’ade.</p><p>They downloaded the information and headed out, determined to greet the Jedi when they arrived.</p><p>Ahsoka hid herself within the ranks, razorthin but durasteelstrong shields in place. It worked on inquisitors, it should work on <em> Dooku. </em> He would not recognize her as force-sensitive until she wanted him to.</p><p>The Jedi called for a ceasefire, and as much as the haat’ade grumbled, they’d learned their lesson - Ahsoka’s intel was right, which meant that the Jedi would rip them to pieces if they didn’t.</p><p>Dooku demanded an audience with the Mand’alor. Unease rippled through the crowd, both haat’ade and the opposing strike force (which, Ahsoka noted, was comprised of a few Force-nulls as well). Rather than retreat inside - smart, Ahsoka gave, not giving either of them the advantage of home turf - they stepped away from the groups; Myles with Jango, and a padawan with Dooku. </p><p>Ahsoka hadn’t known he had another padawan, but she must have been his. The girl whispered something to him as they drifted over - “Aren’t these the guys we’re meant to attack? Why are we talking?”</p><p>Likely, both leaders were aware their groups were listening in., but that exchange would have been too quiet for most of the others to pick up on. Ahsoka knew for a fact that both the Jedi had excellent hearing (for their species), and the Haat’ade all had amplifiers in their helmets; she had both. She could hear the conversation; Dooku’s anger at the duplicity, Jango’s quiet assertions.</p><p>Then - “How were you made aware of the double-crossing?” Dooku asked.</p><p>This was it, Ahsoka realized. Jango would reveal her; he had no reason not to.</p><p>“A jetti came to us a few weeks ago. She claimed that Galidraan was a trap, so we looked into it further and confirmed it.”</p><p>Dooku’s shields were impressive, but not much compared to someone who’d had to learn or die. Through the tiny little cracks in the seams of his shields seemed his curiosity. The padawan was pacing relentlessly.</p><p>Ahsoka reluctantly began making her way through the crowd, though she didn’t plan on revealing herself unless Jango asked.</p><p>“And you are sure this is a Jedi?” Dooku asked. Jango nodded.</p><p>“She wields kad’au - uhh, lightsabers. She uses the Force the way jetti do.”</p><p>Dooku nodded suspiciously. “Can I meet her?”</p><p>Ahsoka made a face at Rex, who just projected amusement at her and shooed her on. She stuck her tongue out and ignored the gesture he returned.</p><p>She had a durasteel buy’ce, and the way it accounted for her lekku and montrails was ingenious; completely different from Shili-style armor. On Shili, the armor, especially helmets, was designed to hang off the body, providing protection without hindering movement or senses, though not many used it. Togruta were predators, and they got that way on their own, without the help of armor. Most didn’t need it; Ahsoka certainly didn’t need armor. That being said, she did <em> like </em> it.</p><p>The mando buy’ce covered her head from the top of her montrails to below her jaw and merely amplified the sound to account for the muffling caused by the beskar touching her montrails.</p><p>She left it on as she walked towards them, the facsimile of protection comforting.</p><p>Dooku raised an eyebrow at her appearance. She’d found herself wearing a lot of armor over the past few years. It had saved her life on several occasions and she’d find herself hard-pressed to give it up. She found the full kit she’d decked out with was a little overwhelming, but there was something nice about having most of her body covered in metal.</p><p>“She’s dressed like she’s planning to fight,” Dooku remarked to Jango.</p><p>“Well,” Jango retorted, “A battle just ended not long ago. She probably hasn’t changed yet.”</p><p>When she was close enough, she bowed to both of them. “Master Dooku, Mand’alor.”</p><p>Jango nodded at her. Dooku watched her curiously. </p><p>“I find myself at a loss as to your identity,” Dooku said, in lieu of an introduction.</p><p>Ahsoka almost snorted. “Well, there are more than ten thousand Jedi Knights. I’d find it difficult to know them all,” she pointed out. “Ahsoka Tano.”</p><p>Dooku inclined his head, and Ahsoka almost felt offended. A customary bow from a Master to a Knight was a slight bend at the waist - the nod was for outsiders.</p><p>But then, that’s what she was, wasn’t she?</p><p>“How did you know about our arrival?” Dooku said. He was prodding at her in the Force, but he wouldn’t see anything. The trick with the shields was to build them too far in. Someone looking for Force-sensitivity would see the top thoughts and move past them, assuming the person in question was null. The walls went under those surface thoughts and over the feelings and deep thoughts. She could feel his skepticism rise as he came across this phenomenon.</p><p>“I had a vision,” Ahsoka said, “It ended with half your group and all of mine dead. I decided to do something about it.”</p><p>Dooku nodded, acting like that made sense to him, but with his current view of her, he didn’t believe her. She allowed her shields to drop just a little. Dooku reeled back just a little.</p><p>“I see you’re trained,” he said, “but not by the temple.” His eyes narrowed. “How do you know so much about the Jedi?”</p><p>Ahsoka shrugged. “I was raised by a Jedi,” she said. “I learned a lot from him.”</p><p>Dooku shook his head. “That’s not how it works. To be a Jedi, you must be registered in the temple.”</p><p>Ahsoka snorted. “What have the Jedi done about the rampant slavery in the outer rim?” She asked. </p><p>It was an unfair question. She knew it, he knew it. Still, it would be useful for her point. “You know what happens to undiscovered children.”</p><p>Dooku’s demeanor changed, like he was trying to portray pity. “I see. I’m glad you were found, then.”</p><p>“If you don’t mind me asking,” Jango cut in, “What kind of things happen to undiscovered children?”</p><p>Ahsoka turned to him. “Slavery or death, usually. Force-sensitive children are a high <em> commodity </em>on the black market.”</p><p>Jango swallowed. “Ah,” he said.</p><p>Ahsoka nodded at him. “It’s not pretty. I was sold when I was three,” she said. “My master rescued me and taught me everything I know.”</p><p>Dooku raised an eyebrow. “Clearly nothing you’d learn in the temple,” he dismissed, and Ahsoka’s mood soured. She’d hoped that his general dickishness wouldn’t have been developed yet, not being a Sith Lord and all, but it seemed that was a lifelong trait. </p><p>“And what does that mean?” she snapped.</p><p>“You have a viciousness to you,” he said, “Not something you’d find in a temple-raised knight.”</p><p>She pointed at the padawan; “And your padawan’s itchiness to attack us isn’t vicious?” Before either Dooku or the padawan could respond, Ahsoka snapped out, “Don’t lecture me on things you don’t understand.”</p><p>She bowed, muttered, “Mand’alor,” and returned to the crowd, dropping her head on Rex’s shoulder. He patted her back. </p><p>“I know,” he whispered, “He puts me on edge too.”</p><p>“I’m just glad we prevented this genocide,” she whispered back. “It was considered the Order’s greatest mistake in recent history.”</p><p>He nodded. The Mand’alor and Dooku were still talking. Things were tenser, she could tell by the tone of voice, but she stopped listening to the words, too tired to continue to be involved. </p><p>----</p><p>Jango reported, later that night, that the governor was being taken to Coruscant to stand trial for lying to a legal body. The kyr’stad hadn’t done anything illegal that the Republic forces could act on, so they were left to the haat’ade to decide their fate. </p><p>He sat down across from Ahsoka and Rex after. “Your mission is done,” he said. “You were right, the jetii Dooku confirmed that with their information, they’d have assumed we were attacking and responded. You saved us.”</p><p>Ahsoka nodded, not feeling like doing more than acknowledge his gratitude, for all that it was hidden.</p><p>“About the padawan,” Jango said slowly, “What do you mean about her being vicious?”</p><p>Ahsoka gnawed her lip and looked to Rex, who just shrugged. Ahsoka said, “If they’d attacked, everyone who survived would have been censured. The padawan would have been deemed too… extreme to continue past padawanship - too violent, too…” she trailed off, thinking of the right word. “I dunno. But she would have become the type of the person unfit for the Order. She’d later disappear.”</p><p>Rex laid a hand on her shoulder. Ahsoka grinned tiredly at him. “I don’t know,” she said, “The two of them just give me bad vibes.”</p><p>Jango nodded, looking troubled. “But they didn’t attack,” he said, “So perhaps her fate will be different. Was there anything else?”</p><p>Ahsoka glanced up at him. “No. Not anything we can do anything about right now, at least. I’ve got to go find Maul soon.”</p><p>“We’ll get you what you need to retrieve your ad,” he promised.</p><p>----</p><p>An entire month after they’d arrived on Manda’yaim, they were able to find the time and resources to head to Mustafar.</p><p>Obi-Wan was, understandably, upset that he wouldn’t be going. Rex himself felt that same stirring when Ahsoka outlined her plan, which didn’t include either of them. But still, he’d been in the presence of dark-siders. Ventress usually ignored him, as he was often in the presence of a jedi, a much more desirable opponent. He’d heard the stories though: she was vicious and known to leave no survivors, she toyed with them, she reveled in their suffering. </p><p>Rex <em> never </em> wanted to face that. </p><p>In the midst of war, the Generals had done their level best to keep Commander Tano away from such fights. In the midst of war, Commander Tano grew up and learned to fight. In the midst of war, Rex had to watch a child sacrifice belief after belief. She didn’t have the privilege of merely defending herself, as General Kenobi had. She didn’t have the privilege of ending conflicts, as General Skywalker had. She had the privilege of mowing down armies, watching civilians suffer. </p><p>And by the time she could look in Rex’s eyes without straining her neck, she could take on some of the most formidable opponents on the opposite side. She faced Grievous with little one-on-one training by her masters, and she faced Ventress years later. </p><p>She often proclaimed herself lucky to get away with her life. </p><p>Rex knocked on Obi-Wan’s door. </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Haat'ade: True Mandalorians<br/>Mand'alor: Sole Leader (Jango)<br/>Jetti: Jedi<br/>Kad'au: Lightsaber (lit. sword-light)<br/>Buy'ce: helmet<br/>Kyr'stad: Death Watch<br/>Ad: child (3-13)</p><p>me, creating another au: oh dear<br/>me, creating a minecraft world for the map of the au: Oh Dear<br/>me, downloading mods for mincreaft for the map: OH DEAR<br/>anyways expect that sometime in the next year (i make no promises)</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
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